Telling himself it was just because she carried his child rang a little hollow. Now that he’d accepted he was to be a father, it was a position he was looking forward to. If nothing else, he wanted to conquer the demons that howled at him that the seed he came from was poisoned. He didn’t believe that any more. He would be better. Their child would be cared for and cherished.
What he’d felt yesterday had been something different altogether. He’d been afraid of losing Goldie, not the child she carried. And if that wasn’t unnerving enough, the sharp swing of his mood in the opposite direction when she’d revealed the reason for her visit had been so acute he’d been almost dizzy with it.
That latter feeling had continued to cascade through him all through the night and to this moment. For the first time in his life Gael didn’t know whether he wanted to face the problem head-on, as usual, or back away from it.
‘Um...say something? Anything?’
He chose to back away. ‘It’s way past time to go.’
She grimaced. ‘Right. Fine.’
He smiled. ‘And you look magnificent, querida.’
When she reached him she punched him lightly in the arm. He responded by catching her offending hand and trailing his lips across the back of it. And as he was rewarded with a smile as luminescent as her eyes Gael felt himself swing towards that unknown high. Felt himself lose the solid ground beneath his feet.
Shaking his head, he took a deep breath and escorted her outside.
They just needed to get today over and done with. Then he could make the time to examine these feelings that had taken hold of him.
The limo ride to Alejandro’s adjoining estate took fifteen minutes, and he welcomed the time to answer Goldie’s subtle questions about his relationship with his brother. As he answered her he realised it was another first. He didn’t find talking about Alejandro as difficult as he once had, and the half-brother he’d once believed he would never willingly accept had become more of a family symbol in his mind than his own mother.
His jaw tightened as he thought of his mother and her threatened visit. Gael hadn’t gone out of his way to keep Goldie’s pregnancy a secret—he’d told Alejandro and Elise—but he knew his mother kept tabs on him through his household staff. So he hadn’t been surprised when she’d called yesterday and dropped subtle hints until he’d divulged the news.
Her immediate announcement that she intended to visit had rubbed him the wrong way. But, no matter how disappointed and bitter he felt over her behaviour, he’d never rejected any overtures from her.
‘Gael, if you clench your jaw any harder it’ll snap,’ Goldie said gently from beside him. ‘Same goes for my hand.’
He exhaled sharply, released the tight grip he’d unconsciously placed on her hand and kissed it better. ‘Lo siento. I should warn you—my father will most likely be at the wedding.’
She nodded, her sexy curls bounced. ‘And...?’
‘And I haven’t seen him for over ten years.’ He shrugged. ‘I can’t say how things will go.’
‘Okay.’ She frowned. ‘Your mother won’t be there, will she?’
He gave a bitter laugh and shook his head. ‘No, but she’s coming to the villa tomorrow.’
Her eyes widened. ‘Does she know about the baby?’
‘Yes, but not about us being married.’
‘Do the rest of your family know?’
‘I told Andro and Elise last week. As much as I relish being a pain in Alejandro’s backside, I didn’t want our news to take over their day.’
Her smile warmed him, made him feel less edgy. It felt like the most natural thing in the world to slide his hand around her shoulders and pull her close. Her face turned up to his immediately, and he lost himself in the sensation of kissing her.
His driver’s throat-clearing announced their arrival and Gael pulled back reluctantly.
‘You owe me another dozen of those when we get home.’
She rolled her eyes, but her smile widened as she slid her hand into his and let him help her out.
Alejandro’s villa was almost a carbon copy of his, bar a few minor details—like the absence of a climbing vine in the courtyard and the presence of an art studio built for Elise. His soon-to-be sister-in-law had become an overnight Manga-writing sensation when she’d sold her thirty-story collection for a fortune last year. Now retired from her previous work as a PR consultant, she was pursuing a flourishing full-time Manga-creating career.
Alejandro was descending the stairs when they entered. Gael locked eyes with his half-brother and noted that the acrimony he’d spent years nursing was almost non-existent. In their own stilted way they’d managed to forge a bond—one Gael suddenly hoped would grow stronger.
He eyed his older brother’s state of semi-undress with a mocking smirk. ‘Are you sure you’re getting married in an hour? You look like you’ve just escaped a drunken sailor’s bachelor party.’